Peacock found mangled in train engine, probe ordered

Lucknow, Sept 10 (IANS) Forest authorities are inquiring how a peacock, the national bird of India, and two other birds got in the way of a train after their mangled carcasses were found stuck to the engine, an official said Wednesday.”Carcass of a peacock, crane and crow was found stuck on the engine of the Swarna Shatabdi Express here at the Charbagh railway station Tuesday,” Lucknow Divisional Forest Officer Ashok Mishra told IANS.

The train operates between Delhi and Lucknow and the incident occurred while it was on way to Lucknow.

“Only after the completion of the inquiry we will be in a position to tell whether a case under Wildlife (Protection) Act can be registered against railway officials or not,” he added.

If it comes out in the inquiry that the incident was purely an accident, no case would be registered under the act, the official said.

“We are yet to ascertain the place where the incident took place,” said Mishra.

According to railway officials, the birds had probably come in the way while the train was cutting through agricultural fields.

Earlier, a tiger was run over by a speeding train in Katarniyaghat forest range in Bahraich district Friday.